Saving Africa's grey parrots from the illegal wildlife trade

Over 1.3 million grey parrots were captured and entered international trade between 1982 and 2001. Today, despite their uplisting to Appendix I under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2017, which affords the highest level of protection, illegal trade continues to decimate their population. Tragically, it is estimated that up to 66% of captured grey parrots die before even entering the trade pipeline—so the numbers we see in trade don’t come close to representing all the birds impacted. 

A crisis in the Congo Basin 

Nowhere is the crisis more evident than in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to over half the species’ global range. Here, unsustainable trade practices and corruption fuel a relentless market for grey parrots. Major transit points such as Kinshasa’s and Kisangani’s airports see hundreds of parrots shipped monthly, often in horrific conditions. These birds are destined for markets worldwide, where they are sold as exotic pets or exploited for their feathers and bushmeat. 

IFAW, in collaboration with partners like the World Parrot Trust, Lukuru Foundation, and Congolese experts Dr. Terese Hart and Dr. John Hart, has been at the forefront of combatting this crisis. We’ve sponsored investigations and arrests of smugglers, while also supporting the rescue and rehabilitation of 453 parrots—401 African greys and 52 red-fronted parrots—from August 2022 to December 2023. 

In June 2023, a sting operation under IFAW’s Confiscated Animals – Rescue and Enforcement (CARE) project saved 45 grey parrots from illegal trade in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. IFAW’s partners at the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) provided support in the handling and transport of these parrots—moving them out of overcrowded wicker baskets and into safe, bird-specific transport cages. At JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, they received the care and treatment they so desperately needed—and, most importantly, they were free to spread their wings. 

In 2022, a major confiscation occurred in Uganda, when reports of a suspected trafficker led to investigations by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Conserv Congo, and World Parrot Trust, with support from the Wildlife Trust of India and IFAW. This individual was arrested for smuggling 122 grey parrots to Uganda from the DRC. Three parrots had already died due to the traumatic and dangerous conditions they experienced. The other 119 were brought to Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre for rehabilitation. The birds that made a full recovery were released back to the wild in Kibale National Park. 

A fight for legal protections 

What made these arrests and confiscations possible is the law that makes trafficking grey parrots illegal. Grey parrots are protected under CITES, the international agreement that dictates which animals can be legally traded around the world. Thanks to the advocacy efforts of IFAW and other conservationists, in 2016, grey parrots were uplisted to CITES Appendix I, which effectively bans all trade in the species. 

This change in their legal status was a cause for celebration—but also reflected the dire situation grey parrots are facing, exposing just how serious the threat of trapping and taking these birds from the wild has become. 

Now that grey parrots have been given these legal protections, it has also fallen on our shoulders to make sure this law is enforced. That’s why IFAW dedicates time and resources towards training law enforcement officials in the proper identification and safe handling of live wild animals seized in trade. 

Under CARE, funded by the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), IFAW has also trained 80+ frontline officers in animal handling, including the safe and humane handling of African grey parrots; helped distribute equipment to key interception locations and agencies so they have the necessary tools (including customised cages) to handle grey parrots; and shared species-specific guidelines for their care. 

Each bird saved is a step toward preserving the species as a whole. In Maniema province, where the parrot trade is rampant, confiscations have also helped us identify vulnerable parrot populations and establish collaborative monitoring networks. By addressing these localised issues, we are creating a model for other provinces—and ultimately for the entire region—to follow.